...Health Care: Right or Privilege Stephen D Ramsey Soc. 120 introduction to ethics Instructor Donna Falloon July 4, 2011 I believe everyone should have a health care plan with good prescription copay. Many people in the United States, like me, have an excellent health care plan. With the economy the way it is, and not much new construction happening, it is almost impossible to work the two-hundred hour per quarter to keep my insurance active. Something has to be done so everyone will be entitled to a decent health care plan. Mandatory insurance is great, but what about the people that can’t afford it. The insurance companies keep raising their rates making it almost impossible to keep decent coverage on yourself and your family for those who have one. I think having insurance is more of a privilege than right to have it. The first of my five resources is The 2009 Obama and McCain debate. “Healthcare was priority number two because that broken healthcare system is bad not only for families, but its making our businesses less completive. Obama talked about giving every American a 5,000 refundable tax credit, and go out and get the health insurance you want, rather than mandates and fines for small businesses. Both Obama and McCain talked about this issue. The Liberty Guardian, by Ron Paul, “With passage of last week’s bill, the American people are now the unhappy recipients of Washington disastrous prescription for healthcare reform, the next step towards universal...
Words: 1762 - Pages: 8
...Healthcare: A Right or Privilege Christine P. (NOTE: SCHOOL/ FULL NAME INFO DELETED FOR PRIVACY) November 13, 2012 Healthcare: A Right or Privilege As I have pondered the ever hammering question of our society today, is healthcare a right or a privilege, I find that I am conflicted in making a decision to support either right or privilege. To arrive at an understanding, I needed to define the basic terms of “right” and “privilege”. An individual’s right, as defined by our constitution, is vast and detailed yet a right to health insurance is not discussed. What I did find was a statement that reads and individual has the right “to enter into contracts, and thereby acquire contractual rights” (United States Constitution, 2012). The question of contract is raised when discussing health insurance for it is a contract between member, inurance company and providers and this is a person’s right to enter or decline such contracts. Privilege is defined as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor” (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, 2012). Upon reading the U.S. Constitution’s definition of right and a clarified meaning of privilege, I believe Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. There may be some confusion, such as I had, suggesting that every person be mandated to have health care coverage and this is a right rather than a privilege. With the definition set forth by the constitution, we the people have the “right” to enter into...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...```````````````````````````````Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege...
Words: 1122 - Pages: 5
...Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States Bobbi Pippins Soc 120 Instructor: Sheila Fry March 23, 2012 Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States There will always be a debate over what is considered fair healthcare in America. As long as there is no national healthcare system that is equal for everyone, there will be arguments over whether it is a right or a privilege. Research will show that healthcare is a basic right for every human being in the world, and that by having a national healthcare system in America, this right can be enforced. America has, for many years, had the view of an ethical egoist, where something is good or right only if it helps to achieve the desired goal of the politicians. While using the utilitarianism view, or that which produces the best results for the greatest number, may well be the view that this nation should embrace. Healthcare should be a basic human right for everybody in the world. While national healthcare for everyone might be complicated to get started, if everyone had equal access to healthcare there would be more preventative care and therefore less costs due to chronic illnesses, diseases such as cancer, would be caught in the early stages of progression which would, in turn, allow for more treatment options and more chances of...
Words: 2241 - Pages: 9
...Should Health Care Be Free? It is clear that health care is imperative to achieve, the issue raises when we have to decide if whether it should be free or not. According to Ted Kennedy during his speech given on Memphis, Tennessee on December 1978 pointed out that “Health Care is a Right, not a privilege” (abcnew.com, Dec). It should not be a commodity for wealthy people; it should be a basic right for all individuals, no matter age, race, ethnicity, or gender. After Kennedy’s accident in an airplane crash and having all the care possible given to a privilege person, as he was, he realized that medical care must be provided to all Americans and it should not be a limitation for those who cannot afford it. Currently in the United States, healthcare is considered a privilege, not a basic right. The Center for Economic and Social Rights states that: “Although the United States offers coverage for the very poorest Americans through Medicaid, this fails to reach millions of Americans who do not qualify as the poorest but still have far too little money to afford purchasing their own health insurance (Pies, 2011). Healthcare should be considered a civil right where Americans with less economic possibilities can still be treated by a doctor. In this case, we refer to the insured and uninsured citizens. Although lack of health insurance does not entirely prevent a patient from receiving healthcare services, it certainly makes it extremely difficult (Trotochaud, 2006). Ethically...
Words: 424 - Pages: 2
...Responsibility: An Economic Perspective Is healthcare a right or a privilege? While it’s foremost an ethical question , a practical view of the healthcare privilege quandary begs an analysis of its financial ramifications of both answers . With the out-of-pocket cost of healthcare skyrocketing year after year, , the economic question arises: Who should bear the primary responsibility of paying for healthcare, the individual or society? Many nations such as Canada provide universal healthcare to its citizenry at a cost funded by higher taxes on both earned income and regular consumption. . The answer to the question of who should pay for healthcare must take into account both the quality of life for the patient and the financial ramifications for society. It is a universal belief that all individuals deserve to experience a happy and healthy life, but to what extent is the individual responsible for their health. In examining whether the individual or society should pay for healthcare, one must consider both the well-being of the individual and the fiscal welfare of society. These elements do not stand separate, but rather are intertwined. A society is composed of individuals; the health and well-being of a society is the summation of the health and well-being of all individuals in that society. The better individuals feel, the better they can function and contribute to a society's stability and growth. When a worker is in good health, he or she can best contribute to the workplace...
Words: 1429 - Pages: 6
...Health as a Human Right Kathryn Dorley University of New England Health as a Human right to me is defined as a right and not a privilege. There are many Americans who struggle daily with healthcare. Nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured (Jenkins, 2008). Millions more are unable to meet their medical expenses despite having insurance (Jenkins, 2008). Research conducted in 2007 shows that in a survey 89 % of Americans agreed that healthcare should be considered a human right (Jenkins, 2008). Through college experience, work experience, and research, I have gained a better understanding overtime of Health as a Human Right. Growing up my understanding of health, was just going to the doctors and getting a checkup to see if I was “healthy”. My first experience I can remember knowing health was so much more than a simple cold was when my Grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s; I was 11. I never fully understood the disease until high school when I did my senior project on what it was and how it affected the body. At this point I assumed Health was just diseases that affected the body and could be cured with medicine or treatment. This was because I formed my parent’s opinion. Health in high school was more geared towards physical rather than mental. Freshman year in college I started to formulate my own opinions and understanding on the concept of health and how it is all encompassing. I began to learn that health was so much more than a cold and...
Words: 1443 - Pages: 6
...choice of comfortable superstition over logic and reason. What is the primary focus of the virtue of ethics theory? The primary focus is one’s character, especially the personal disposition to act well in various circumstances. What really guides our behavior as humans is not ultimately self-centeredness or explicit commitments to moral rules or results but rather the deep patterns of each of our personalities and behaviors. . Explain the basic concept of a right. The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression Basic rights Explain the meaning of the Equal Liberties Principle. In other words, people have the basic freedom to do whatever they want to do. The only limitation on this moral freedom is our duty to extend these same rights and freedoms to others. Our only moral duty is to avoid violating the rights of others “Everyone is entitled to as many...
Words: 2060 - Pages: 9
...The constitution is always brought up when discussing whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. “ If we interpreted our Constitution correctly, America was built on the principle that government exists to protect our rights that already exist, not dictate what rights we have, do not have or should have,” (Williams,2012). I do not thing that healthcare is a right or a privilege. If referring to the constitution, it states “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our nation was built on the notion of the free market. Healthcare is provided through public and private sectors. “f we want to live out the liberties granted to us by our Founders, we should reserve our right to purchase healthcare on the free market, allowing opportunities for those to purchase at affordable rates, not by allowing healthcare controlled by bureaucrats,” (Williams, 2012). The problem comes due to our entitlement generation. I do believe that basic health needs should be given to all people. Due to constant medical and technological growth, healthcare is more expensive and more advanced. I do not think that all advanced medicine needs to be provided equally to all people. Basic healthcare needs to be identified and provided for all individuals, but the individual can purchase “luxury” healthcare at leisure. Our generation feels that they are entitled to every aspect of healthcare. The healthcare market is a business like any other and the conglomerates and insurance companies want...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...The relationship between racism and white privilege is obvious in their individual definitions alone. Racism is the belief that all members of a certain race possess characteristics specific to that race, and as such, distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. (4) The white privilege system maintains this racial dominance through a series of beliefs, behaviours, policies and use of language. (12) It is a particular set of advantages, often invisible to those who benefit from it the most, and these advantages that white people hold are a direct result of the disadvantages of other people. “We have a racist society without acknowledging any actual racists” (Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, 2010). Initially, the word ‘race’ sparks...
Words: 1763 - Pages: 8
...Assignmnet Kelly Hoffpauir April 7, 2013 N2536 According to the preamble of the Constitution of the United States, it is the responsibility of the government to take care of the general welfare of the population, but healthcare is not defined as a right in the Bill or Rights or anywhere else in the constitution (US Constitution Online, 2010). While I believe healthcare is a privilege, I believe the government has a duty to ensure that its citizens are given the basic level of care necessary to consider them treated, whether government or citizens are paying for it. It isn’t defined as a right to Americans to have health care. In the same sense, I feel that the provisional code that states that it is the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community is where the general welfare is spoken about (AACN, 2005). After reading an article on the website, heritage.org (2010), I feel that in this day and time, the determination of who has access to health care has fallen to the government. It is directly and indirectly related. It is related because the reform mandates that everyone has insurance whether it is from the government or from an employer. Employers are having a hard time finding low-cost premiums that provide the employee with a variety of options for medical treatment...
Words: 545 - Pages: 3
...Some believe health care to be a fundamental right while others consider it a privilege. Consider how you and your family utilize health care resources. Is access to health care a fundamental right that you exercise or a privilege earned? This topic strikes a sharp chord with me. Our family has insurance thankfully. Our family utilizes preventative medicine such as immunizations, dental cleanings and monitoring, and check-ups for my children at the pediatrician. My husband also has to have yearly physicals related to his job. We are very blessed to have access to healthcare in the ways that we do. We still have to pay our copays and expensive prescription deductibles, but am very happy with the insurance we have. I think healthcare is a fundamental right. Stating that healthcare is a privilege earned is absolutely ridiculous! My father has worked at a sawmill for at least 40 years. His boss chooses not to carry insurance and never has. My mother had insurance for a while when she worked at a local factory which laid off employees three years ago. Sine then, she has not been able to find steady employment. I can tell you that my family is one of the hardest working families there is. My father has COPD, has no insurance and cannot afford to pay for his much needed inhaled corticosteroids that he needs. My mother is a diabetic who takes insulin daily, What medications or doctor visits they partake in, is strictly on their own. How is this right? I understand that...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...Consumers’ Perspective on Health Care Complete the Consumers’ Perspective on Health Care questionnaire. Answer each question based on your personal experiences as a consumer receiving health care services. Questions are related to real life experiences of services received, satisfaction with services, changes you have seen or experienced over time, benefits you have for insurance coverage, and local/national legislative changes you are aware of and their effects on or anticipated impact on your health care services as a consumer. Be prepared to discuss your completed responses in Week One. 1. What does “health care “mean to you? Health care to me means my physical, mental and emotional needs being managed, addressed and taken care of by my health care providers. 2. Are you currently employed in a health care delivery setting? If no, explain your interest in health care delivery in the United States. I am currently not employed in the health care delivery setting my interest in the setting stems from my son birth and health complications that he was born with. 3. Do you feel health care is your right or your privilege? Explain. I think that health care should be a common human right but, personally to me health care is a privilege that we cannot always afford. 4. How often do you access health care? Explain your answer. a. Seldom (every other year or longer) b. Annually c. Every six months I go to the doctor about every 6 months when I am very sick and...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Investigate patient’s rights. What are some of prevalent difficulties patients and providers encounter? Suggest some best practices solutions December 6, 2015 HSC 3661: Communication Theory and practice for health professions Fall 2015 December 6, 2015 HSC 3661: Communication Theory and practice for health professions Fall 2015 A patient is the utmost vital being in the institution. A patient is not just reflected as someone who is under medical care or treatment but, also someone who is a client of any medical service. As a patient, an individual should be considered as a partner in your hospital care. With this being said, they have personal preferences and values that a medical establishment should encourage and respect. As a patient, one has certain privileges, patient rights, of which are basic rules of conduct between patients and medical caregivers as well as the institutions and people that support them. (patient rights, n.d.). Once the entering of a medical establishment and being bombarded with a voluminous amount of documents during registration, how many of us are guilty of just signing and initialing our name at the bottom of the document without essentially reviewing it? Majority of the time, people tend to not realize their precise rights, as a patient, at the time of their care. When I asked one of my co-workers to list off their rights as a patient she barely knew anything. “To be quite frank, I honestly do not know my complete rights with the hospital...
Words: 2330 - Pages: 10
...regulations or measures shall be subject to approval by the Commission (Sec. 9, Art. II of R.A. No. 9173); and WHEREAS, the Board, after consultation on October 23, 2003 at Iloilo City with the accredited professional organization of registered nurses, the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. (PNA), and other affiliate organizations of Registered Nurses, decided to adopt a new Code of Ethics under the afore-mentioned new law; NOW, THERFORE, the Board hereby resolved, as it now resolves, to promulgate the hereunder Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses: ARTICLE I PREAMBLE SECTION 1. Health is a fundamental right of every individual. The Filipino registered nurse, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the primary responsibility to preserve health at all cost. This responsibility encompasses promotion of health, prevention of illness, alleviation of suffering, and restoration of health. However, when the foregoing are not possible, assistance towards a peaceful death shall be his/her obligation. SECTION 2. To assume this responsibility, registered nurses have to gain knowledge and understanding of man’s cultural, social, spiritual, physiological, psychological, and...
Words: 1748 - Pages: 7
